AID for Your Lawn - How to Fix Dead Spots

The reasons for dead or brown spots on your lawn may be as simple as too little water or as complex as Brown Patch fungus, but in general, the causes for dead or brown spots on a lawn can be divided into three categories. These categories are abuse, inattention and disease. You can remember these categories by remembering the mnemonic "A.I.D." And once you understand these three categories, it is a simple matter to find the cause of your lawn's brown spots and AID it in returning to health.

Abuse

It is not only the neighborhood dog that abuses your lovely green grass, even though dog urine and feces are a primary cause of brown spots on a lawn. A lawn may also be abused by too much foot traffic, too much heat from a reflective surface, or even too much fertilizer! The key is to determine what your lawn is receiving too much of, and correcting the situation.

Too much urine? If your dog is causing the problem, try supplements (like Drs. Foster and Smith Lawn Guard), which neutralizes the nitrogen in your dog's urine (the cause of the brown spots). Feed your dog a high quality dog food (more digestible protein and less nitrogen-based waste), and encourage your dog to drink more water. Otherwise, your best bet is to train your dog to urinate in an area that will be less visible.

If your neighbor's dog is doing the dirty deed, options include reminding your neighbors of the local leash laws, installing motion detector sprinklers, planting more resistant strains of grass, or saturating the spots with several cups of water to dilute the urine.

Too much traffic? Compacted soil from too much foot traffic can be resolved by aerating, or by rerouting traffic through the use of stepping-stones or pavers.

Too much heat? Little can be done to rectify "reflector damage" except to increase the amount of water to the area. Other options, if viable, are to place bushes, trees, tall grasses, etc. between the object causing the heat and the brown spots.

Too many chemicals? It's not only important to read up on the type of grass you have in your lawn, and fertilize accordingly, you must also use care not to spill or dump other chemicals, accidentally or on purpose, onto your lawn. This includes gasoline, oil, or even the soapy water left over after you wash your car.

Inattention

Water your grass regularly, and no more than 1-2 inches per week, depending upon how much natural precipitation it has received. Water in the early morning or late evening for best results with the minimum amount of water. Aerate sloping areas by wearing aeration shoes (or even just golf cleats!) once or twice a year to allow the soil to soak up more of the water.

Pick up items that have been left lying on the lawn (toys, bicycles, etc.) to prevent damage. If the lawn feels "spongy", you may need to use a de-thatching rake to remove the layer of dead grass next to the soil that is preventing sufficient moisture from reaching the lawn's roots. Sharpen your lawn mower blades to prevent them from shredding the tips of the grass and turning them brown. And do not cut your lawn too short - "scalping" the lawn will result in dry soil as well as dry grass.

If your dead grass or brown spots are caused by abuse or inattention, it is a relatively simple matter to diagnose the problem and resolve it. But if nothing seems to help, chances are your lawn is suffering from a disease or insect infestation.

Disease

The insect that most likely will cause brown spots on your lawn is the spider mite. You may be able to rid your lawn of these pests through simple natural solutions like spreading dry cornmeal on dry areas that have turned brown. This will take some time, but is preferred by some over the usage of chemical fungicides or other lawn care products.

Most lawn disease are fungal in nature, and are therefore prevalent in humid climates, or on lawns that are heavily shaded. These include Brown Spot (also known as Brown Patch), and Dollar Spot. The key here is to minimize the effects of too much moisture on your lawn, by aerating, reducing the amount you water, and only watering in the morning, so your lawn has time to dry out during the day. If this isn't enough to stop the problem, turn to fungicide products such as Spectracide and Immunox Plus Disease and Insect Control.

With a little time and patience, and regular attentive lawn care, you can resolve the issues causing dry or brown spots on your lawn.

SOURCES:

How to Troubleshoot Brown Spots on a Lawn

http://www.ehow.com/how_118284_troubleshoot-brown-spots.html

Brown Spots on the Lawn - article by Mary Small, Colorado State University Cooperative Extension agent, Urban IPMhttp://www.colostate.edu/Dept/CoopExt/4dmg/Pests/Diseases/brownspt.htm

Brown Spots on My Lawn - http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf93942204.tip.html

Lawn Burn Caused by Dog Urine - http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=2+2085&aid=1493